Infernal Blade – Part 11
“Stay back.” Luke pushed Cecily aside. Lisa stood calmly next to him, her eyes closed.
“Commence forging,” he announced, signaling the beginning.
Lisa opened her left eye while her right remained shut. Her left eyelid stretched to its limit. It seemed like her eyeball might pop out. The left eye darted around like a separate creature, eventually locking onto a point in the air.
Cecily swallowed the scream rising up her throat. She felt something terrible might have taken over Lisa. It was a disturbing sight.
Where Lisa’s squirming left eye was staring, a black fireball appeared.
“Is that…”
Cecily recognized it. A massive fireball with a strong gravitational pull. It emitted no heat, rippled, and sent off black sparks. Just looking at it felt like she was getting dragged in. She had seen it during the expedition, but she had her back turned and made no effort to ask what it was exactly.
Luke grasped the bladeless hilt.
“What are you doing?!”
He plunged it into the black fireball, arm and all. It engulfed his right arm up to the elbow as if he were immersing it in water. Then he tossed the jewel steel into it with his left hand.
The color drained from Luke’s right eye, and he began to murmur under his breath.
“Mizubeshi. Kowari. Senbetsu. Tsumikasane. Tanren. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Orikaeshi. Shinkane keisei. Kawakane keisei. Tsukurikomi.
Sunobe. Kissakizukuri. Hizukuri. Arashiage. Tsuchioki. Akame. Yakiire. Kajioshi. Shitajitogi—binsuido, kaiseido, chuunagurado, komanagurado, uchigumorijido. Shiagetogi—kudakijizuya, nugui, hadori, migaki, boushinarume.”
This part sounded familiar too, a string of words distinct from the incantations for pacts. Luke recited them fluidly, and in just a few seconds…
“
Tsukaosame
.”
Luke’s right eye regained its color. His arm emerged from the fireball, which then burst and vanished.
A sword appeared. A blade had formed at the end of the hilt that wasn’t there moments ago. It was single-edged, gently curved, with temper lines running along its surface. This was the special type of sword Luke referred to as a katana, the very reason their paths had crossed.
The blade sparkled in the sunlight. When Luke swung it, a powerful gust of wind erupted, reminiscent of the whirlwinds created by the Infernal Blade Aria. Upon closer inspection, a whirlwind danced around the surface of the katana.
“It’s different from the last one,” Cecily said.
“That sword can’t kill that thing. Wind counters wind.”
Suddenly, Cecily remembered. Where was Lisa?
“What’s wrong?” Lisa asked, appearing just as she always had. Her left eye no longer squirmed unnaturally. She blinked normally.
Cecily was in disbelief. Had she imagined it? No, she hadn’t. It felt as if something demonic had taken over her.
“I know Aria’s pain.”
“Is it okay for me to dress up like other girls?”
“Lisa can talk to animals. Pretty handy, huh?”
“Me? About three years old.”
Suddenly, it struck her.
“Lisa, are you—”
“I guess you figured it out,” Lisa said with a sad smile. “I’m a demon too.”
Cecily was left speechless.
“Sorry, but we don’t have time for chatter right now,” Luke interrupted. “Let me explain, Cecily Campbell. This katana is forged by using my past experiences. It reproduces swords I’ve made before. Each sword can only be created once, using high-purity jewel steel as material. Swords forged this way contain a large amount of Aetheria and gain various effects. Last time, it was ‘heat.’ This time, it’s ‘wind.’”
Cecily turned to Lisa, and Lisa nodded. “This reproduction technique is my ability as a demon. That fireball draws on Luke’s past and experience and acts as a simplified furnace.”
The rapid explanations nearly overwhelmed Cecily, but she tried her best to comprehend them.
“The problem is what comes next,” Luke went on. “Katanas made this way are incredibly fragile. Due to their high Aetherial concentration, they can easily exceed the tolerance limits of the jewel steel. Remember what happened during the expedition?”
Indeed, that katana had shattered after just two strikes.
“This katana can handle three strikes at most.”
“And… can it kill that demon?”
“Probably not,” Luke replied flatly. “That’s why we’ll need your help, Cecily Campbell.”
Cecily felt a sharp pang in her chest. Luke stared at her intently. He was asking her if she could do it.
“I’m only assisting you. You will deal the final blow. Can you do it, Cecily Campbell?”
A foolish question. There was no reason compelling enough to refuse what was demanded of her in this situation. It wasn’t a matter of can or can’t.
“I’ll do it.”
A roaring sound echoed around them. A swirling pillar of fire erupted from the central square far in the distance.
The pillar pierced the sky, breaking through the clouds above. The scorching flames illuminated the faces of the three, even from so far away. Cecily could feel the heat on her skin.
A scorching wind that burned everything in its path with undiminishing fury. And she was going to face that.
“You’ll only get one chance. Fail, and you die. Are you sure about this?”
“I said I’ll do it,” Cecily Campbell declared boldly.
She’d had enough of stupid questions. Right now, there wasn’t an ounce of weakness in her to mourn her helplessness, only the strength to stand by her principles.
“A knight never goes back on their word!”
The central square lay in ruins.
The Knight Guard’s formation had all but crumbled. Bodies lay torn apart or charred, and broken swords, the last traces of fallen knights, were scattered across the ground. Only a few remained standing, unharmed. The ground was cratered, and the makeshift stage had been reduced to ashes. What was once a peaceful gathering spot for citizens had become a desolate wasteland.
The flame-clad demon thrust its rapier randomly, sending searing shockwaves in all directions. The devastation had already spread beyond the square.
Alongside the demon, a fiery beast was darting around the square with reckless abandon. While it didn’t cause as much destruction as the armored demon, it spread fire wherever it moved, intensifying the blaze. Flammable materials everywhere ignited, and it was only a matter of time before the fire spread to the urban areas.
Though both demons wreaked havoc, one of them faced resistance. It came from the last man still fighting—Hannibal Quasar.
Having lost his greatsword, Hannibal fought the beast barehanded. He didn’t punch it directly, knowing his fists would be scorched on impact. Instead, he used his immense strength to smash the ground, hurling debris at the beast to keep it contained within the square. His agility, unexpected for a man of his size, allowed him to continuously evade the beast’s charges. His strategy wouldn’t defeat it, but it was buying him the time he needed.
A bad matchup, Hannibal thought, assessing the situation.
He trusted in his iron fists, fists strong enough to crush rock. These hands had seen him through the Valbanill War and defended the city for decades. He wasn’t going to fall here.
But regrettably, these fists couldn’t kill the demons. Their true forms were made of flame—demons that reduced anything they touched to ashes. Physical attacks were useless.
So Hannibal kept buying time, waiting. Waiting for the other district captains.
They should have noticed the chaos by now. If anyone could deal with these demons, it was them. Until then, his job was to contain the destruction and keep the demons within the square.
I’m not dying here.
He had survived too many battles to die now.
“But… I really am getting old,” he muttered.
The fact that such little effort left him winded was pathetic. No one could fight the march of time. Hannibal sighed, chuckling bitterly.
“Listen up, Hannibal, you old fart!”
That insolent voice. Hannibal grinned. He knew who it was instantly. Luke!
He looked toward the edge of the square and saw Cecily Campbell and Luke Ainsworth running toward him.
Luke pointed straight at him and shouted, “Keep that ugly beast in check!”
He didn’t need to be told twice. His fatigue vanished as adrenaline kicked in. With newfound energy, Hannibal stomped the ground, cracking it.
Watch my back!
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